


Who'd Ever Love the Big Bad Wolf?

by DCJoKeRHS



Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-16 23:30:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DCJoKeRHS/pseuds/DCJoKeRHS
Summary: Based after the episode where Team RNJR and Qrow enter the forest, I thought I'd thrown this plot bun away, but it attacked my face with a fury all too like a blend of Nora's and Yang's...Anyway, with an injured Qrow, Team RNJR are trying to get through the forest quickly to get him to safety, when they run into a man by the name of Vladimir Volk, who lives in the forest and is able to just about control the Grimm with his semblance.Getting them to the safety of his home, the man gives Qrow the antidote and tends to Qrow's wound, before departing to his own chambers, where he tells them never to come.But who exactly is Vladimir? And why does he hide so much?...





	1. Rescued

Ruby blocked the Beowolf's strike towards her uncle, the smell of blood drawing more grimm towards them.

"HYA!" Nora roared, smashing one right in the chest, before dodging another strike as Ren backed towards where Jaune and Ruby were shielding Qrow...

Then a voice floated through the forest, a cloaked man, wearing a metal mask appearing from among the trees, stepping calmly between them and the grimm.

They drew a machete-shaped weapon with a curved handle from their belt, bashing one of the grim on its paw.

Several growls and a surprisingly agile strike later, the man turned to them.

"What are you doing in my forest?" they demanded, voice surprisingly low and soft.

"Please! Uncle Qrow got poisoned by a Scorpion-guy! Please! help him!" Ruby replied, eyes widening with hope.

The man studied the group for a bit, before hearing a snap as a Beowolf communicated something to an Ursa, which turned to stomp away.

"Fine, but only because it's close to nightfall, and your _Uncle_ wouldn't survive another three days, otherwise," they stated, "I want you gone when your Uncle's healed, though. People like you are never a good thing."

He strides past them, pausing when they don't follow.

"What are you waiting for?! An _invitation_?"

RNJR quickly scramble to carry Qrow and scramble after the stranger...

 

Ruby was bored.

"So..." she hummed, moving to walk by the guy, "I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose! Who're you?"

A pause.

"Vladimir Volk. What about your _friends_?"

"Oh! Yeah, um, they're Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie and Uncle Qrow's really called Qrow Branwen, but he's my sister's Mum's brother..."

"Sister's Mum's?"

"Her Mum ran off, so My Dad then married my Mum, she died when I was young, so..." Ruby shrugged, as the man hesitated.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine, I hardly remember her, anyway..." Ruby replied, sighing.

They are silent for a while more, before the guy leads them to the side of a small mountain, pulling some ivy aside to reveal a door.

Pulling out his weapon against the door, there was a soft _click_ , before the guy held the door open.

"In."

Scrambling to do as told, they entered a quite wide hallway, the guy entering as  he tapped part of the wall, a line of torches flaring to life.

"Wooow..." Jaune breathed.

"This way, you'll be staying in the guest quarters in the west wing," the man stated, striding off, the others quickly tailing him as they came to a fork with three different paths, the guy taking the right one, before throwing open one of the doors, revealing a semi-lavish, semi-modest bedroom, with an oak bed with red and white sheets below a red canopy.

"Set him on the bed, I'll fetch the medical kit from the bathroom."

The guy doesn't even remove his gloves, leaving, before later re-entering, now wearing a different set of gloves as he carries a birch box with a snake wrapped around a staff carved into the lid. Setting it on the bedside table, he opens it, pulling out two bottles, bandages, and cotton-wipes, as well as a syringe.

Team RNJR watches the man as he administers whatever was in the bottle, before cleaning and wrapping the wound.

"What is this stuff?" Ren asked, sniffing the bottle of anti-venom.

"Most poisons are a mix of certain types, you said scorpion, so I used an antivenom typical for any scorpion bite, using the basics of the Death Stalker to produce it, if you look at the blue bottle in the box, that's made from the basics of the King Taijitu venom; they actually nullify eachother, but by mixing in several herbs and extracting the toxins, you get perfect antidotes," Vladimir replied.

"Eh?! So their venom is part of the antidote?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"I've used it several times myself, back when I was training my semblance with my Father; I assure you, it's quite safe... Unless you overdose," Vladimir replied.

"Excuse me, but why don't you remove your gloves, or mask?" Ruby asked, puzzled.

"My wounds; I keep them covered to stop any iritation. Now; I should probably show you around..."

The man gets up, moving to leave.

"What about Qrow?" Ren asked.

"What about him?" Vladimir replies flatly, "Right now, he needs to rest and heal."

He leaves, the others following him out, as he explains the basic design on the underground home; the central corridor leads to the kitchen and entertainment rooms, as the more shared area. The right wing was for the guests, including several bedrooms with en-suites. The left corridor, meanwhile, lead to the host's rooms, though they weren't allowed down there - "You're allowed anywhere you like, though you must tell me if you wish to go outside, like I plan to tell you, and my rooms are off-limits. I catch you in there, and I will most likely throw you right out again."

This gained several nods, Vladimir only giving in slightly to allow them a cursory glace at his rooms, though he kept his bedroom and study doors shut.

It was one of these private rooms that peeked their curiosity.

"Who slept here?" Nora asked, surprised.

"My parents; it's the last thing I have of them, so keep your hands off."

Then they found a sketch.

"Wow! Are these two them?!" Jaune asked.

Moving over, Vladimir gently pulled Jaune's hand away.

"Yes..."

The picture of Mr and Mrs Volk depicted a man with long, slightly curled, brown hair and warm, brown eyes in a firm, angular face on a strong, muscled body. In contrast, the mother had long, gently-curling hair with startling, cheery, green eyes, soft features bleeding into a petite body with her long, smooth fingers wrapped around those of the man's more stocky ones as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Your parents look so pretty!" Nora remarked.

"...It's a sketch..." he replied, raising an eyebrow, "It could have any slight modification and you would never know."

"Still..." Nora hummed, "Your Mother is small and cute while sitting down, then your dad's so tall!"

There was a weary sigh.

"He... He's standing, so's she... I got most of his height."

"Oh..." Nora remarked, eyes widening slightly.

"It's fine, I've heard those types of remarks before..."

He'd gotten them to leave that room after, using the living room and music room to distract them, showing a small piece of his heart when he was asked about the violin resting at top the grand piano.

"My Mother played them, like my Father taught me with that guitar over there..." he indicated the hand-made instrument, with a smaller, slightly less well-made guitar beside it, a soft chuckle gaining their attention, "I tried building my own guitar... My Father actually ended up doing most of the work..."

Some time after then, the group turned in...


	2. Closer Proximity

Ruby woke up thirsty.

So she went to fetch a glass of milk.

It was on her way back that she heard soft complaints and curses from their hosts rooms.

Entering the corridor, she hesitated as she saw the light coming from below Vladimir's room.

Biting her lip, she chose to check on him.

Walking up, she gently knocked.

"Enter," they called, Rose opening the door after.

"Are you al- oh..."

Vladimir had several creams lined up on his desk, as he was sitting on his bed in only slacks and a mask, hiding both the skin around his eyes and the right side of his face, shaped a bit like a crescent moon, trying to put the various creams on, though his hands were trembling slightly.

"Here, let me help..." she said softly, moving forwards, taking the cream as she began gently dotting it on his arm, before smoothing it in.

They were silent for a time.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"Wanted a drink... Also I may or may not have decided to check on my Uncle - it's only my sister, my dad, him and I by now..." Ruby replied, equally soft. "What about you?"

"I had to finish up some stuff, then apply this stuff," he growls softly, "I was nearly burnt alive, though I was believed to be dead after, which was good enough for me..."

"Eh? How?" Ruby asks, surprised.

He hesitates, as he scowls, soft lips turning down in a semi-snarl.

"A woman called Cinder, she threatened me about the origin of my semblance, before yanking me along like useless mutt, despite the stuff I did to try and save my parents, but..." he swallows, "I think she worked for someone; she had... Weird visitors, then there was another name... Salem?..." he shrugged with his free shoulder.

"Cinder?!" Ruby exclaimed.

A smirk spilled onto his lips.

"Let's just say she had a way to talk, to muck your head up worse than Emerald, and leave it at that," he stated, before it dimmed down into a sadder look, "I wasn't even able to protect my own family..."

They were silent for a while longer, Ruby moving into his other arm.

"How do you do it? You smile so warmly to a complete stranger, then they just let down all their walls..."

Ruby pauses, thinking, before shrugging.

"I dunno! I mean... Yang says it's the fact I'm the youngest, but I think that just results in them babying me..." she complains, "Even Uncle Qrow does it! It gets annoying sometimes! I'm 16!"

"Oh? I'm 21."

His grin made Ruby feel like she'd walked into a den of beowolves, though she returned her attention to applying the ointment, finishing not long after.

It was then she realised he'd fallen asleep where he was sitting, the combed-back hair falling loose around his face.

Giving a half-smile, Ruby carefully pushed him to lie on his bed, putting away the cream, before sneaking out of the room, falling asleep in her own bed not long after...

 

The next morning, Ruby wakes to find the others in the kitchen, Vladimir cooking as Ren helps, Nora and Jaune sitting at the table, talking.

It's then that she notices his gloves are on the table, though then, when calmly passing Ren a spatula she sees his hands, how many small scars decorate long, pale skin.

"Hey Ruby!" Jaune smiled.

"Morning!" Ruby smiled, taking a seat, Vladimir glancing over, showing he's in the crescent-shaped mask still, "Oh. um, Mr Volk, can't we just call you Vlad or something?"

"Do as you like," he states, finishing up with the eggs, placing them on the table, before opening a door at the base of the stove to reveal a grill and oven combo, pulling out a grilling-tray of toast, placing that down as well, as Ren finishes up on the pancakes, Nora's happy gasp as Vlad pulls a bottle of syrup from a shelf, placing it beside the plate of pancakes.

"Thank you for the food!" Nora grins, before half the pancakes disappear in a flash, Vladimir looking highly surprised.

"Does she have a bottomless stomach or something?" he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Both of them do," Jaune replies, I think it's a girl-thing..."

Vlad gives the distinct impression of a raised eyebrow, before placing a bowl of beans, then a pan of fried vegetables on the table.

Ruby may or may not have devoured half the fried veg, two slices of toast and half the pot of beans, and two eggs...

"Ruby!" Jaune complains.

"Wha~? 'M Hungry..." she replied through a mouthful of egg, before gulping, "It tastes really nice! Thank you, Vlad!"

"I'm... Glad you like it..." Vlad mumbles, taking a seat as he fills his own plate as Ren sits, taking quickly his own portion.

Ruby smiles, as she leans forwards.

"So, Vlad, how long do you think it would take for Uncle to heal?"

Vladimir pauses, before frowning.

"I'll need to see how powerful his aura is, first."

"Oh, OK!"

Vlad sends her a half-smile, as they continue their meal, Vlad slipping his gloves on afterwards, leaving the room, returning about twenty minutes later.

He'll regain consciousness in one to two days, able to move in about seven," he states simply, his usual, metal mask back in place...

He stiffens when Ruby hugs him, repeating the words "thank you" over and over again.

"Erm , Ruby..." Ren winces, as she realises what she's done, and jumps away, blushing, before muttering a small "Sorry..."

"Well..." Vlad looks equally flustered, as he looks away for a moment, "I think that was... OK..."

He clears his throat, before he speaks again, firmer, "Do you think you could tell me how you plan to go about from here? I don't exactly want to have rescued you for you to just die by the hands of further grimm."

"We plan on heading to the school at Haven," Ren replied simply.

"I suppose that's OK, your direction and age indicate Vale, right?"

The four nod, as the guy facepalms, before beckoning them to follow, taking them through to the lounge in the Family corridor, before fetching a map from his study, spreading it out to indicate different dates written on it, singe marks around the edges.

"The direction from _here_ is to head north, following the river to the village _here_ , then head through the mountains _here_ to Haven. Going straight is impossible unless you know the land well, since there are several areas of forest with hundreds of grimm in one area and a swap part way through that you need to be able to navigate..." he stated, before looking at the clock, rising from his seat, "Excuse me for a moment, I need to check on something."

"Eh?"

Vlad paused, looking back, as he appeared to _switch_ for a moment, gaining that beowolf-like countenance again.

"You can come if you want; I'm only feeding the injured creatures from the forest..."

Ren was up immediately, Nora following, as Vlad strode to what was evidently a back door in the living room, pulling down a set of stairs as he grabbed a back of something from the side of the door.

Following, the four children stood in surprise.

The entirety of the 'roof' for Vlad's home, as well as a good portion of the 'backyard' held pens, in which various creatures, ranging from snakes to Grimm - including a Griffon, King Taijitu and Death Stalker - were resting peacefully, Vlad checking on each creature in turn, singing a little to the Griffon, which chirped something back, Vlad moving to it's rear paw, where it raised a wing to reveal a bandaged tail, which he carefully unwrapped, checked, then re-wrapped with bandages from his bag, coasting a black paste around the wound, before carefully moving along.

Smiling at the sight of them, he pointed to a shed.

"Food's in there; the crystals need to be set up by the grimm's pens for about two hours, then the snakes food is the frozen rodents and so on."

"Sure!" Jeane smiled, before looking sheepish, "But aren't we meant to... You know..."

"Grimm actually are what absorb most of the negative traces in forests and such, the only reason they've been on the increase lately is someone's been tampering with the ratio of positive and negative energy; like when you adjust a set of weights," Vlad replies, "or when you limit a creature's water source; the creatures journey closer to where there is more negative energy to feed on, which is, coincidentally, near Humans and Faunus alike."

They work in relative peace, as Ruby feels confused, waiting until they're back in the living room to talk.

"If you like grimm so much, why didn't you join Cinder or any of the White Fang?"

"Unwillingly, I did, but humans and the other animals out back belong on the other end of the spectrum from the Grimm, so I actually believe that both sides are both right and wrong in their own rights."

"You did?!" Jaune asked, surprised.

"She threatened my family, my livelihood, and my life, even though I had moved further south from here to shield my parents from my semblance... I'm just glad she doesn't know that this place exists..." he replies.

He turns away, head lowered slightly as he takes off his cloak.

_"You'd probably kill me if you knew the whole truth..."_

Ruby looked to the others in confusion, as he left...


	3. Qrow's up! And news is recieved...

Qrow woke up to a metal-masked face, which pulled away, before he heard a door opening.

" _Guys! Qrow's up!_ " they called, as Qrow moved about, "Don't get up just yet, you're still healing.

Red petals flew up as Ruby appeared, gasping, then hugging Qrow as she buried her face in his chest.

"Wow... How long was I out?" he asked.

"Two days!" Ruby replied, pouting, "Be glad Vlad found us before we ended up as Grimm-chow and actually decided he'd heal you."

Qrow chuckled at that, as the other kids greeted him, welcoming him back as the guy - Vlad? - left.

Jaune waited until the others were gone.

"You want anything?" he asks.

"Humour me... Who is that guy?" Qrow asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Vladimir Vulk, he sees himself as someone between either side of the current war, since he says that we need more of a balance than what either side is aiming for. He actually has a sort of zoo on the roof pertaining to creatures of all types, including grimm! He also has these black crystals that he uses to feed them, though he won't say what the crystal is made of, just that 'you don't want to know' and 'it exudes negative emotions and aura for the grimm to feed on'..."

Qrow frowns at this, though acknowledges what this _Vlad_ had said about his wound...

 

He was just about able to get up the next day, Vlad not very pleased with it, though he made no complaint but for a "now I can see why Doctors always panicked back when I got out of my hospital bed early..."

Then Ruby opened her radio app, like she'd found she could do yesterday.

"... _And what a report we have for you, folks! The Shnee family has a pretty powerful lady in their family! Miss Weiss Shnee was attending the ball today when she snapped upon hearing some comments about the war in Vale, summoning a_ white Boarbatusk _with only her semblance! We can't get any comments, but we have heard that shortly after she was stripped of her inheritance, which has been passed to the youngest Shnee sibling, young Master Whitley Shnee, she was told to return to her room for an indefinite amount of time!_ "

"Wait, what? She summoned a _boarbatisk_?!" Vlad exclaimed.

He quickly moved to turn of the heat of the cooker, grabbing his cloak.

"I need one of you that she trusts to come with me," he states, heading for the back door.

"Wait!? What?" Ruby askes, "I mean, I can, but-"

"Summoning a Boarbatusk is not a small feat, if she's seriously able to do something like that without training, there's a chance she'll be able to do it again, it gets easier as you go along."

Ruby follows him as he whistles, a Griffon flying down from a tree as he speaks to it quickly, the Grimm crouching as Qrow looks at him in surprise.

"Do you have your weapon?" Vlad asks, as Ruby quickly grabs it from where she had rested it, allowing him to lift her onto the Griffon's back.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Where else after hearing that?!" Vlad replied, "We're rescuing a princess!"

Ruby paused, as her eyes widened, a grin spreading over her face.

"Oh my Oum! Let's go!" Ruby squealed happily.

"Permission, Mr-Uncle-Branwen?" Vlad asked, somehow infected by Ruby's glee.

Qrow hesitates.

"It's Qrow, and _fine_ , but you _dare_ hurt my niece and you're getting a knuckle sandwich for breakfast."

"Noted," Vlad replies, hopping up as the Griffon stands, glancing back as Vlad mutters something from behind it's wings, Ruby's arms around his waist, before it swoops into the air, spinning round in the direction of Atlas...

 

Weiss paced her room, annoyed as she absent-mindedly swung Myrtenaster about, before hearing the screams...

Then her window was crashed into by a Griffon, a human hand pulling her quickly up and onto it's back.

She gasped as she recognised the clad-in-red girl.

"Ruby?!" she exclaimed, surprised, "What on earth are you doing?! _Ruby!_ "

"Hi! Can't talk now! Hold on!" Ruby replied quickly, before they were airborne again, the Griffon flying away as Weiss found she had to grab Ruby's waist as Ruby grabbed the stranger's....

 

Meanwhile, Ren was tailing Nora as she was looking in the other guest rooms, before reaching the one room Vlad had ghosted over during the mini-tour.

Opening the door, Nora froze, as Ren paused, both looking in in surprise.

Electronics littered the room, as three beds were positioned side-by-side, two well-known people from either side of the war on either end bed, one encased in glass, as the middle bed held an all-too-familiar robot.

"Pyrrah..." Ren breathed, Nora slowly stepping inside.

Pyrrah, Penny and Neopolitan were all unconscious, Pyrrah's form was blurry inside the box, as Penny was now back together, but appeared to be lacking something, as Neopolitan was on a breathing unit, head bandaged.

"What..." Nora began.

"we'll ask, let them rest for now." Ren replied, frowning...

 

Vlad's surprised at the waiting group, not expecting himself to be dragged off of the Griffon, who he quickly thanks for the ride as the girls are helped down from it's back, before being led to _that_ room.

"Explain!" Ren spits from behind him, as Vlad mentally curses.

"I managed to use my semblance to summon all of Pyrrah, as well as reform her body, though I still need to be able to link something to her to get her to become alive again. the robot needs something, but I'm no mechanic, and Neo had a pretty hard impact when she landed; each bone in her body was broken, she had severe burning on her legs, and I had to amputate her left hand," Vlad replies softly, as Jaune and Ruby pale, Weiss crossing her arms.

"Pyrrah..." Jaune quickly pushes past them, as he rests a hand on the box keeping her alive.

Silence reigned, as all eyes were on Jaune , Vlad moving forward.

"I-" he begins.

"We're getting her to wake up; she's my partner!" Jaune replies, voice eerily cold as he turns burning eyes on Vlad, who frowns.

"I told you, she needs something to act as a tie to the earth, like her weapon or something; the closer she values it, the more she'll remain."

There's silence for a moment longer.

"Then use _me_."


	4. Reawakening the Wounded/Arrival

"What?! That could be disasterous if the procedure goes wrong!" Vlad retorts, frowning.

"I _don't **care**_!" Jaune retorted, Vlad visibly freezing, swallowing, before forcing himself under control, as he thinks...

He growls softly, before stepping forwards as he moves to part of the wall.

"Place your hands on the glass, over her heart, you'll feel a tingling in your fingers, which will stretch to your brain and chest, before spreading to the rest of you after forming the first part of the bond. If you even flinch, you may cause both of your lives to go; Ren, I'm going to need you by him, just in case, though you can't touch him without gloves on."

Ren nods, taking the gloves Vlad indicates, as Jaune gives a slow breath, placing his hands on the glass.

"I'll try and see what's wrong with Penny," Ruby states, moving past, Qrow moving to help.

"Why did you help her?" Ren asks, looking over at Neo.

"...I knew her, once... Though she won't know me," Vlad replies softly, before activating the machine, Jaune's eyes widening slightly as they began.

Nora watched, nibbling her lip, as Pyrrha slowly grew more solid, light slowly filling the room as the pair began to glow, Ren squeezing his eyes shut quickly as Vlad turned away slightly, protected by his mask...

When the light died down, Jaune was breathing heavily, as his eyes were focused on Pyrrha, who now looked very solid.

Quickly moving, Vlad hummed softly, lowing his head slightly for a moment, before a surprised gasp left his lips.

"It worked!" he exclaimed, before remembering something, "Jaune, you should go rest, she should be asleep for about three hours more, but _it worked!"_

Ruby couldn't help but give a little smile at that; he sounded like a little kid.

"This is quite honestly the first time a human's acted as a centre for another human! It's amazing!"

"Where did you get this, anyway?"

Vlad paused, before looking over at Neo.

"It was her idea, since she lost her voice, she chose to increase her intelligence, instead. I just built it in secret for her..." his voicce was hardly audible beneath the bleeps of Neo's life support, before he shook himself.

"I'll go and start on brunch; we've not really had anything to eat yet," he states flatly, gently stearing Nora closer to Ren as she moves past her, effectively retreating from the minature hospital ward.

There's silence for a moment, before Ruby takes a breath.

"Anyway, Penny."

"Yeah," Qrow agrees, as they start work, Qrow going through the software of Penny's body while Ruby worked on hardware, Nora and Ren helping Jaune back to bed and promising to keep watch for any changes...

 

_She's been floating for what felt like forever..._

_...Was it really that long? Forever?_

_She could hardly remember stuff, just blonde hair and an innocent, handsome grin alongside the headband she had been given by her mother._

_Where was that now?..._

_But then things started to feel heavy, pulling her down, more_ together _as she remembered things.  
_

_Things she thought she had forgotten..._

_Then there was nothing..._

_...Then, light...._

 

"Fetch Vlad!" Ren quickly ordered, as Qrow was finally working on a small fault he'd found in Penny's central programming, which had switched what appeared to be several important things _off_.

Now all they needed was something familiar to 'activate' her.

Vlad enters in his usual swirling of grey clothing, the silver mask switched out for the bluish-white crescent one he'd worn at breakfast.

Vlad had quickly verified something with the crystal on his cane, popping open the glass case, which swung open on either side with a loud _clank_.

"Were's Jaune?" he asked, Nora quickly fetching the blonde, who had immediately run to Pyrrha's side.

"Pyrrha!"

Black eyelashes flutterd in ivory skin, before Pyrrha, for the first time in ages, opened her eyes.

"Jaune?" she asks, before she grabs him, as she gasps, "I _died_?!"

Jaune's joy is overwhelming as he lifts her with an "I know! But _you're back_!"

"But I was shot?!"

"Vlad was able to reform your body before you completely faded!" Jaune replied, as Pyrrha gasped.

"You're in my head?!"

"Eh?!" Vlad gawked, as Jaune nodded, crying again after so long.

"What do you mean?"

"Telepathy!"

Vlad facepalms as he figures it out in seconds.

 _"Of course_ , your Aura's had to bloody _merge..._ "

"Eh?"

Vlad sighs as he waves a hand at them towards the door.

"Side-effects, just... Do whatever!"

Jaune doesn't need telling twice.

Nor does Nora, who's dragging Ren behind her.

Vlad turns to leave, before pausing as there's a tug on his slate-grey overcoat.

Ruby's looking at him with those innocent eyes of hers, freezing him in place.

"Thank you... You're actually a lot nicer than you let others know..." she smiles, Vlad takes a tiny step back, looking away.

"I..." he quickly starts for the door, "I'll be in my office, knock if you need me."

Ruby's smile falls into a frown as his words from earlier echo in her head.

 

_"You'd probably kill me if you knew the whole truth..."_

 

"Ruby?"

"Ah, sorry... Got distracted."

Qrow gives her a concerned look, as Ruby finishes quickly and efficiently, before Qrow carefully presses a button on the scroll that'd been 'temporarily' hooked up to her.

Penny's eyes glowed green, as her mouth parted, inhaling.

"Restarting memory-base... Reinstating basic functions..." she sat up, before the green dulled, Penny blinking several times, before she looks in surprise at Ruby. "...Ruby?!"

Ruby surges forward, pulling her friend into a hug, a relieved laugh leaving her lips.

"I'm so glad!" she cries, before tugging on her hand, as Qrow chuckles, leaving.

"Who is she?" Penny asks, looking over at Neo's bed, as ruby nods to herself.

"Neo, she doesn't seem to be waking... Can you help her?"

Penny grins, as she salutes.

"I will help as best I can!"....

..."What's actually wrong with her?"

Ruby manages to laugh, before indicating the life-support and telling her how she'd been hit to the head, how Vlad didn't know what was wrong.

"Hmmmm~..." Penny mused, before smiling.

"I know just what to do! Though cooperation is required!" Penny replied

"Thank you!" Ruby grinned...


	5. A New Arrival

They were nearly ready to get packed up and on their way, when they heard the sounds of a motorbike, Ruby running from her place by the Death Stalker's pen to peer over the edge of the 'roof', seeing a yellow bike with a hoard of Grimm behind it shoot past, though the Grimm avoid the small home.

"YANG!" Ruby called, the recognisable driver looking over in surpise, before kicking up dust as the bike shoots round, stopping (unknown to the rider) beside the front door.

"Ruby?! What on earth are you doing out here?! There are _Grimm_!"

"Yeah, well, I was helping with Vlad's vet-farm-thing! It's amazing! He actually takes care of both Light beings and Dark! We rode a _Griffon_ to actually rescue Weiss! It was so _AWESOME_!" Rose calls back, as Yang frowns.

"THAT WAS YOU?!"

"Yup!" Ruby replies, before wilting slightly at the voice that comes from behind her.

"Ruby, you're sort of holding the bag of crystals for the Death Stalker, please bring them over at least if you're going to be randomly- who the hell are you?!"

While scolding Ruby, Yang was surprised at the sight of the man in grey, a silver mask over the person's face as they looked down at Yang.

"She's my sister!"

The man folds his arms, silent communication flying between the pair, before the guy sighs.

"Come on up; if you go round the side you should find a path made in the long grass, bring the bike, and don't you _dare_ try hurting any of the grimm!" the guy replies, Yang nodding as she whizzes round, stopping her bike in shock.

"Did I die, or is that seriously Pyrrha standing over there with Jaune?" she asked, getting off as she removes her helmet.

Her answer is in the hug Ruby grabs her in, nearly knocking her back into her bike.

"I'm so glad you're here! We stopped here to get Qrow healed after geting poisoned, then we'll be heading for Haven in about two days to apply and see what's going on and-"

Yang puts a hand over her little sister's mouth.

"Breathe."

Ruby's eyes water as she grins.

"Take your sister inside and show her round, she's your responsibility, Ruby."

"OK, Vlad!" Ruby grins, before grabbing Yang's hand and taking her inside...

 

It hadn't all been good and well with the rough edges from the War, but they were calm by the time they were leaving the Private corridor.

"Hey, Rubes, humour me," Blake smirked.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of this... Vlad guy?" she asks, as they reach the room the sisters will be temporarily sharing, the king-sized bed more than enough room for the both of them as Yang snuggles close to her baby sister.

"I don't really know... At first, he appeared stand-offish, like Weiss, but then it was like, 'Why is he giving us so much with so little in return? We can help around the place and stuff, but what would he get?', then we found out about his vet-thingy and Penny, Pyrrha and Neopolitan, Roman's partner... He basically sees himself as in the middle ground, not really wishing to chose a side, even though Cinder's side has already hurt him, somehow; I just see the scars on his hands, arms and torso when I can't sleep, then hear that he's unable to apply the stuff meant to heal him from his hands shaking so much..." Ruby shrugs, before smiling, "It's rare, but I like hearing him laugh; it's like he's suffered so much, since his semblance means he can charm the Grimm and communicate with them, so he needs it. His family's gone, then I think his current persona is because he doesn't want to see more pain than he has to..."

Yang's silent as she mulls over it, before smirking.

"Do I detect the beginnings of a crush?" she asks, smirking.

"Yang!" Ruby splutters, "Where on Remnant did that come from?!"

"Don't lie~ Mr Masky's managed to worm his way into your heart..."

Ruby blushes as she whines, curling up.

The door opens as Peny strides in.

"Ruby! I'm almost done! Just need some of the petals your semblance has!"

"Eh?!" Ruby asks, surprised.

"They're rich in Vitamin C and contain dust-like parts of your Aura! I want to ask Ren to turn it into a syrup to feed Neo!"

"..."

"Ruby?"

"We'll keep it from Vlad for now; I want it to be a gift... If we can get her to wake up before we leave, Vlad won't be so alone, would he?" Ruby smiled.

There's silence, before they set to work...


	6. A private Chat... And Departure

It's the night before they leave, Ruby waking as her ears pick up the soft sounds of a piano.

Slipping from the bed, Ruby sneaks out of her room, following the noise to find Vlad in the Music room, sitting at the piano.

She's quiet as she listens, Vlad giving no sign of knowing she's there for a moment...

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asks gently.

"You play beautifully..."

There's silence as he plays a particularly high part, before returning to the previous pitch.

"Moonlight Sonata... It sounds easy, but it really wasn't..."

Ruby moves across to the piano as he moves onto a more dance-like quality from the previous melancholy.

"I've not seen you touch either your violin or guitar?"

A broken laugh leaves Vlad's lips.

"The violin was... Another life; knowing how to play helps you appear... More intelligent than you actually are, more sophisticated... Like this!"

He moves onto a faster pace as he reaches a slightly more dangerous sounding part.

"Movement 3... Presto Agitato... Used to be my favourite part, but now I like the first - the Adagio movement - nicer..."

Ruby smiles softly, leaning on the piano as she listens, eyes slipping closed as she allows the melody to wash over her, sounding oddly pure and cheeky, despite also sounding panicked and slightly scared; so many conflicting emotions in one part of Vlad's playing that she couldn't put her finger on...

Though it made her heart go out towards him more, as she opens an eye to watch his face, which is as serene as ever, despite there being a very slight tilt to his lips as he reaches a slightly questioning bit, before racing back into the original melody of that movement...

She hugs him from behind, resting her head on his.

"I'm glad I get to meet you..." she hums softly, as Vlad freezes.

"You should probably return to your room, before you worry your sister." he replies, as he finishes, turning to her after slamming the last two chords with a grace that makes Ruby pause.

Her heart is thrumming, feeling more awake than she should, and she smiles, a full, radiant smile that he pauses at the sight of, visibly blushing.

"You really _do_ play beautifully..." she smiles, as he nods.

There is silence, as Ruby smiles.

"Vlad..." she strokes his hair, Vlad slowly relaxing into it.

"Mm-hmm?"

"You don't have to put up a front all the time, right? You know you can ask for help, to rely on us more?"

"Really, you say that to a self-exiled fool like me?"

"You're not a fool! Nor are you stupid, you actually know how to handle hard situations, and you help everyone so much, even though you receive so little..." Ruby frowns.

She lets go as he stands, turning to look at her.

Its only in such close proximity that she realises his left eye is like Alexandrite, though his right eye is covered by a black pane of glass; like built-in sunglass.

"You hardly know anything about me; you've only been here for a week."

"Why are you always trying to hide so much all the time?"

"Why do you keep on acting like I'm someone worth evreything when what all I've only ever managed to do is build up more and more mistakes?!"

"Because I like you!"

Vlad stepped forwards after shifting about a bit, grabbing Ruby as his lips decended on hers, her eyes widening, before the sensations of how soft and gentle, despite his anger, Vlad was.

Then he pulled away, flushed, as he realised what he'd done, turning away quickly.

"Return to your room."

"But-!"

" _Now!..._ You'll be leaving in the morning, anyway!"

Ruby flinched, before slowly leaving, her eyes on the floor as she went.

The soft sounds of a piano began again, as Ruby walked back to her room, smiling slightly when she found Yang was still asleep...

 

It wasn't until later, after being handed a map, as well as Weiss being handed a bag of Lien for new clothes and things, that anythig was truly felt.

Ruby had clung to Yang as she went, Vlad turning away sharply as they left, glancing back only once to meet silver, saddened eyes...

But then he heard movement, and found Neo shifting in her bed.

The girl cracks her eyes open, looking at Vlad.

"Wh-who?..."

"Neo!" he breathes, as the damn breaks, and he crumples at her bedside, pain flooding his heart...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey! It's a quarter past midnight again!! X'D  
> Hehehe... Fluuuufff *w*


	7. Decisions and Problems...

Roman lay on the couch as Neo listened, his head in her lap and his mask on the table.

"Oh Ro-ro..." she signed.

"What do I do?! I mean, I freaked out! She's only ever seen me with one of my maths, and if she saw she'd be all 'AH! Roman Torchwick! Quick! Kill him since he's meant to be dead already!'" Roman complained, covering his face.

Neo moved his hands gently, smiling at Roman.

"How would she even like my eye?" Roman retorted, "I'm not even meant to exist! I was _born_ in The Dark Wastelands! Salem's Realm! I'm-"

Neo flicked his forehead, before pulling out her magnetic drawing board and scrawling on it.

" _You aren't a monster! You never really were! Stop beating yourself up over stuff you can't change or control!_ "

Roman pouted, before growling as he turned onto his stomach.

"But Salem knows about me! I-If she finds out I know and fell in love with the one person on Remnant that can _stop_ her for _good_... That Ozpin's already had an effect on..." he grumbled, "I don't want someone like _her_ to get hurt..."

Neo gave a small smile, ruffling his hair, before pulling out her 'board.

" _I need to get going if I want to catch up with them, anyway._ "

"What are you going to do?"

Neo smirked, adopting Roman's Torchwick-smile(tm... OK, he wished he could, but it's the grin of a criminal...)

" _Trust me; I'm your sister._ "

Roman watched her leave, before sitting up properly with a sigh.

"That's what worries me, idiot..."

 

Meanwhile, Yang was feeling slightly... Prickly.

OK, actually, she felt really annoyed.

"What the hell happened to get you so down, sis?! If it was the Vlad guy, I'm getting my bike and-"

"No no no!" Yang! It was more my fault than anything, I snuck in on him playing and sorta got talking and he said stuff and I felt weird and then I grabbed him and he turned and we... Ummm..." Ruby blushed, as tears brimmed, "Then he looked scared, and upset, like we'd just done something horrible that he regrets and I don't know and he locked himself up and told me to go back to bed..." she gave a sniff, as Yang froze.

"What?"

"What do I do?" Ruby whimpered.

"Um, um, um- Oh look! Blake!" Yang pointed out the window two a recognisable pair.

"I don't care..." Ruby mumbled into her knees.

"No! Seriously!"

Yang bit her lip as she glanced between Blake and Ruby.

"Damn it!" she ran...

 

Blake did not expect her first re-encounter with Yang would be... _This_.

Yang had suddenly appeared in front of her and Sun, grabbed her hand, and yanked her up to the inn room where Ruby, of all people, was _depressed._..

From _boy problems_!

"OK, so, she kissed a guy, and now she's in tears?" blake asked.

"Yup!" Yang replied, nodding.

"ARGH!" Blake roared, before slapping Ruby.

"EEP!" Ruby squeaked, grabbing her cheek as her eyes focused, and she gawped. "Blake?!"

Grabbing her top, Blake brought her friend's face close to her own.

"Do you enjoy being with this guy?" she growled.

"Uh-huh..."

"How well do you know him?"

"Give or take a week of us guys living in his home while he helped heal my Uncle and I helped him because he has severe scarring from the war and he acts all stoic and stuff but he's seriously not and-"

"Do you love him?" Blake asked finally.

"Well... I did share my first kiss with him, but then he got really scared and angry and told me to return to my room, and I don't know why and-"

Blake frowns as she hears her surrogate-sibling say "first kiss"...

" _Talk to him!_ "

"But-"

" _TALK TO HIM!_ " Blake repeated, "If you're so concerned, find out what's wrong and solve it!"

 Ruby bit her lower lip, looking her lap.

"I don't know if I can..."

 

As Ruby says this, a certain glistening in the air moves away, before a certain ice-cream-girl came into view on the roof, frowning as she works out what to do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANT TO WRITE A BUMBLEBEE-ICECREAM THREESOME!  
> ...  
> Is it a good idea? Yae? Or Nae? ;w;..  
> ...  
> (FFF it, I'll see what happens...)


End file.
